17 First taste of combat.

It's the day after my lovely therapy session and once I entered ANBU HQ, I was told to report to training room five, which is in front of me right now.

Before i open the door however, I am interrupted by a voice approaching me.

"hey six, you got the same assignment as me?"

Turning around to see who it is, since I can't really recognise voices when the masks make us all sound the same.

"oh, hey hound, long time no see, and I guess so yeah."

That said I open the door and gesture for him to go in first.

Entering the hall, I see two ANBU already present, and when they notice us, which was immediately by the way, the bigger of the two starts talking, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘬.

"you're finally here, now, to the point, we are a new team, and I am your new squad captain, bear, I am a combat specialist, next here is monkey, he is our tracking specialist, a sensor. now you two, introduce yourselves."

Saying so they both look expectantly at us, I gesture for Hound to go first.

"well, I'm hound, and I suppose I'm a combat specialist too"

And like that the attention is on me.

"my name is six, and I suppose I am a stealth specialist."

They seem satisfied at that, but I can't help and think that they aren't too happy to have me as a teammate, which I understand, I wouldn't be happy trusting a child with my life either.

"now, with the war still going strong, we already have an assignment, we are going to serve as reserve fighters, to help out where needed, we were all selected because the higher ups believed in our speed after all. now gather everything you will need, including supplies for a six day round trip, and meet at west gate eight in fifteen minutes."

Having said his piece Bear and Monkey disappear, leaving me and Hound alone.

"they left faster than your dad"

I'm sorry Hound, I couldn't help myself.

"fuck you"

Saying as much Hound disappears in a shunshin as I smile behind my mask, before also disappearing in a swirl of shunshin.

Even if Hound sounded annoyed, I know he found it funny, we forged ourselves a strange little relationship during my training.

Him and Vulture were the main culprits in the exercise of beating my ass, so I ended up saying some very mean things in my frustration, but unlike Vulture who just hit me harder, Hound reciprocated, and I know he enjoys our little game of insults.

Whilst thinking all this I had already returned to my room and grabbed some of my sealing scrolls, as well as visiting inventory and grabbing a scroll ready prepped with a weeks' worth of rations and when I actually arrived at the appointed gate, I see we're all waiting on Hound.

Not that we are left waiting for long, as he appears almost immediately after I did.

After a brief glance over us all, Bear nods and takes the lead, taking us straight towards Ame.

The first day passes without incident, we made camp in a nice clearing and continued our march at dawn, Bear did have to carry me for a bit when I started lagging behind, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘹!, but eventually we were making camp for the second day.

Nothing happened then either, however on the 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 day.

We were running through the forest, as usual, when all of a sudden Monkey signalled us to stop, and when we did, he used signs to tell us,

𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯, 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵

And instantly we are on alert, and after thinking for a moment, if they are coming from our east then they probably came from the north, which would mean, Iwa-nin.

Thinking as much I sign it to my team.

𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘐𝘸𝘢-𝘯𝘪𝘯.

I don't have to tell them what that means, be prepared for earth jutsu, luckily we were traveling through the trees.

Bear turns to Monkey and begins signing,

𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺?

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺.

And with that response Bear seems to come to a decision.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴, 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

Saying so we all change directions and start heading for the enemy, and I feel only slightly nervous as we approach, but the good kind of nervous, like when you've got butterflies in your stomach before you ask out a girl you like.

'𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩?'

Unfortunately, I have no time to ponder these mysteries as we have arrived upon the enemy, and Bear turns to me.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.

I suppose it makes sense, use the stealth specialist to start the fight with a bang. How fun!

Smiling behind my mask I pick out my target, we follow for a short while as i wait for the perfect moment.

They aren't tree running, which makes sense with their earth specialty, still, we are in a forest, so eventually they will have to leave the ground to jump over a particularly large root, and-

𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

The moment the Jonin leaves the ground, I am moving as fast as I can without shunshin, tanto in hand aiming for his neck.

Unfortunately, he notices me at the last moment,

well,

I say unfortunately, but really it was unfortunate for him, because the last moment was not enough time for him to do anything but watch his death approach.

And approach it did, with one clean cut he is decapitated, a fountain of blood that I still have trouble accepting as a thing that happens spurting from where his head was.

Before I even stop to think, I'm already moving away, and as I hear the ground collapse behind me, I know I made the right choice.

'𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘢'

As I spin around to face my opponent, I see the other Jonin right in front of me kunai posed to strike my throat.

𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦? 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯?

But before death reaches me, Bear barrels into the enemy nin, taking him away, leaving Monkey fighting three Chunin, whilst Hound takes the other.

I take a moment to feel my heart beating, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵, the adrenaline in my veins, and the fact that 𝘺𝘦𝘴, I am still alive.

In fact.

~𝘈𝘩𝘩𝘯𝘯 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦~

Not wanting to lose this blissful feeling I engage in the hunt, I trust Hound enough to handle one Chunin, but I don't know Monkey, and he's clearly not as strong as Bear is.

Blending back into the surroundings, I circle around where Monkey is fighting, watching as the very earth fights against him, trying to trap and crush him, or impale him on spikes.

Honestly its rather entrancing to watch, these guys are clearly very used to working together.

Heh.

That probably means this was a tight nit group. Right?

I think I just had a devious plan, I was looking for a chance to strike after all, and looking at the head in my hands, I think I've found my opening.

I feel the blood in my veins 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 at the thought of such a cruel tactic and 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵~.

Taking aim, I throw the head of their squad leader somewhere that would be in full view of all three of them.

And once they notice the projectile the fight is over, Monkey takes advantage of their lapse in concentration and sticks a kunai in the throat of one of the chunin, while I also use a kunai this time, jamming it right into the back of another of the chunin's necks.

I don't stay to see what happens with the last chunin, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, instead I go to check in on my other teammates.

Hound seems to have the advantage, so I decide to check on Bear before offering help, however before I can do so, the man in question appears behind the chunin like a wraith, grabs his head and twists it with a sickening 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 that just makes my blood even more excited.

That done Monkey shows up and bear speaks.

"sit-rep"

Monkey speaks up.

"all enemies eliminated, no one is in my range"

Bear seems satisfied and nods his head.

"good, pack up and let's go."

Monkey immediately starts moving but me and Hound just sort of stand there, not sure what were supposed to do.

Bear actually doesn't seem to mind explaining, I think we must have impressed him enough that he won't see us as a burden, even when he literally had to carry me.

Well, I say 𝘸𝘦 but let's be real for a moment, he never had a problem with hound, and again its completely understandable, I am only like 130cm (or 4'3"), I wouldn't trust me at first either.

The explanation was basically how it's important to seal corpses and bring them back to the village, allies to be buried and enemies to learn secrets or for whatever R&D get up to.

It doesn't really affect us though, because only monkey is carrying the scrolls, since our mission is to participate in a big battle, there will be other people to collect the dead.

After Monkey is done, we return to our original course, double speed thanks to the distraction delaying us,

Which of course meant Bear had to carry me again.

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢.

As I'm bemoaning my fate of being a literal burden, the adrenaline starts to fade and I'm suddenly really tired, 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘱, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦?

In the end it didn't matter if he minded.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

If you want to support me and my ability to pay rent, then I created a ko-fi so please consider donating! even just a pound, of course only if you're financially stable please

https://ko-fi.com/bored_works

So, Hana's first fight!

I know it was probably rather anticlimactic but, what can i say? he is an assassin. if he's engaging his enemies head on when he doesn't have to then he's doing it wrong.

The problem writing a rouge type character is that if they're doing their job right then there shouldn't be any intense fights, just them showing up and killing their target and leaving.

Also im sorry if his stamina issues seem to have come out of nowhere, but he is a child.